Events

Protecting Cultural Heritage  –  Learning from Ukraine

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern, Switzerland

The one-day symposium on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 is focused on sharing experiences and building awareness. The expected outcome are recommendations on how to upgrade emergency planning with regard to cultural heritage protection in war. The morning is devoted to an expert workshop, the afternoon is open to the public.

Preserving cultural heritage is one of the core tasks of museums and other cultural institutions. In recent decades, the protection of cultural property in Western European countries has focused primarily on safeguarding it from natural and technical disasters. However, in light of the current political and military situation in Europe, it is urgent to also address the protection of cultural heritage in the event of war.

At the one-day symposium “Protecting Cultural Heritage in Times of War – Learning from Ukraine”, experts will discuss the current state of cultural heritage protection in Ukraine and Switzerland and possible wartime planning, using a variety of formats. Experts from Ukraine will report on the daunting challenges in cultural property protection that have been imposed on their country by Russia’s brutal war of aggression.

The symposium is jointly organized by Bern History Museum and the Ukraine Culture Network.

Here is the draft program. Please check this link later again for updates to the program. 

Registration

Registration is mandatory. Please register using this registration form if you would like to attend some or all of the events. 

On March 1st, 2026, a major musical work was performed in Fribourg, Switzerland. The 'Festkantate zur Murtenschlacht' by Lothar Kempter is a monumental work for male choir and orchestra, commemorating the 1476 battle between Charles the Bold of Burgundy and a Swiss Confederate army at Murten / Morat. In addition to this impressive work, 'Maria's City' by Ukrainian composer Zoltan Almashi war performed. The work commemorates Mariupol, the port city largely destroyed by the Russian army. 

The Swiss male choir was accompanied by members of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine which traveled all the way from Ukraine for the performance. 

Please find the program here.

📌 Forum Fribourg, Route du Lac 12, Granges-Paccot, FRIBOURG, Switzerland 

📅 Sunday March 1, 2026

The event was made possible by the Ukraine Culture Network, with special thanks to Werner Schmitt, President of the Board.

On Friday, February 13, 2026, violinist Ming-Chung Teng (Taiwan), Odesa International Prize Winner, and Ukrainian pianist Nikolay Pushkarev gave a concert at Yehudi Menuhin Forum in Bern. The audience was stunned by the mastery and energy of the two young musicians. Here is a short video impression of the concert. 

The program included works by Myroslav Skoryk, Edvard Grieg, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Eric Chausson and Henryk Wieniawski. More information can be found in the concert flyer. 

Myroslav Skoryk (1938 - 2020) is one of the most loved and prolific composers of his generation. His composition ‘Melodiya’ has been described as the spiritual hymn of Ukraine. 

This event was supported by the Ukraine Culture Network, with special thanks to Werner Schmitt, President of the Board.

Photo Exhibition on the War against Ukrainian Libraries
Kornhaus Bibliotheken Bern (Kornhaus libraries) and the Ukraine Culture Network jointly organized a photo exhibition of the ongoing war against Ukrainian libraries.

This war is part of the war the Russian Federation wages against Ukrainian culture and identity.

The exhibition was on display at the main building of Kornhausbibliotheken at Kornhausplatz 18 in Bern until January 31, 2026. 

Swiss National TV SRF produced a TV report on the exhibition.

The full-length video of the World Premiere of the Requiem by Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych has just been released. You can find it on the Ukraine Culture Network's YouTube Channel.

The Requiem had its world premiere in Kyiv, at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, on November 2, 2025. The music and the Requiem's narrative - suffering, death, and the perspective of a better world - deeply touched the audience. Many have lost family members and friends in the ongoing war. The air alarms over Kyiv stayed silent during the premiere - to pick up just as it was over.

The War against Ukrainian Libraries and Ukrainian Literature

The Ukraine Culture Network UCN and Kornhaus Bibliotheken Bern (Kornhaus libraries, KOB) jointly organized a series of events to raise awareness of the ongoing war against Ukrainian libraries and Ukrainian literature. This war is part of the war the Russian Federation wages against Ukrainian culture and identity.

The events took place at the main building of Kornhausbibliotheken at Kornhausplatz 18 in Bern on December 2nd and 3rd, 2025. 

The Sophia Chamber Choir from Kyiv performed at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum in Bern on December 12 at 19.30.

The program was devoted to the upcoming Christmas time and included works from Johann Sebastian Bach, Francis Poulenc, Victor Kolomits, Iaroslav Karpiv, Oleksandr Rodin and others. The audience was presented with an impressive blend of voices and musical works from both Ukraine and Western Europe. Several of the arragements had been specifically created for the Sophia Chamber Choir.

The concert concluded with the traditional Ukrainian New Year's song 'Shchedryk'. Shchedryk was arranged by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych, who was i.a. known for his arrangements of Ukrainian folk music. He was murdered in 1921 by a Soviet security agent, becoming one of the many victims of the Soviet state's suppression of Ukrainian culture. Shchedryk is at the basis of the well-known Carol of the Bells, which can be frequently heard around Christmas time.

Please find the full program under this link.

The Sophia Chamber Choir could also be heard at their Basel concert and Stockholm concert on December 16 and 17.

The concert was organized by the Ukraine Culture Network UCN, with special thanks to Werner Schmitt and Maria Söderberg, UCN Board Members.

On November 2^nd, 2025, the Requiem of Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych had its world premiere at the National Philharmonic of Ukraine in Kyiv. The music and the Requiem's narrative - suffering, death, and the perspective of a better world - deeply touched the audience. Many have lost family members and friends in the ongoing war.

The Requiem was performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine under maestro Volodymyr Sirenko and the National Choral Capella 'Dumka' under artistic director und conductor Eugene Savchuk.

The Ukraine Culture Network organized its 3rd online fundraising seminar on Tuesday, November 11, 2025. The seminar helped participants to be more professional in raising funds for their cultural projects.

At the seminar, Ursula Liebich, fundraiser at schreibenundmehr, put the focus on the advantages and disadvantages of creating an association under Swiss law (a 'Verein'). She also answered the questions of participants with regard to fundraising in Switzerland. 

02/10/2025

The online networking meetings organized by the Ukraine Culture Network help Ukrainian artists and cultural organizations to network with potential partners and funders.

A concert to celebrate Ukraine's National Day was organized by the Ukraine Culture Network in Bern on August 22nd, 2025.

The 2025 Summer Window exhibition at Kunsthaus Zofingen featured works of Ukrainian artists Dasha Podoltseva and Elena Orap. The typical Soviet apartment blocks of Ukraine, the so-called panelka buildings (prefabricated buildings), took the center stage. The exhibition was produced by curator Eva Bigler.